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Biography
Senator Vincent J. Hughes
represents the 7th Senatorial District in the Pennsylvania Senate, where he
serves as the Acting Caucus Secretary of the Senate Democratic Caucus. He
has been a member of the Pennsylvania Senate since November of 1994. Prior
to coming to the Senate, Senator Hughes was a member of the Pennsylvania
House of Representatives from 1987-1994. While in the House, he chaired the
Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus from 1991-1994.
Over the years, Senator Hughes has worked on numerous issues. From political
empowerment to creating jobs, and from expanding health insurance to the
uninsured to the rebuilding of neighborhoods, Senator Hughes has used his
position to provide solutions and service to people often times when they
had no where else to go.
Most recently Senator Hughes has
led the fight to increase PA's minimum wage, and has secured over $20
million dollars of state money to go to the Low Income Home Energy
Assistance Program (LIHEAP) , to provide assistance to folk who need help
with their heating bills. It should be noted that this is the first time
that Pennsylvania has directed state dollars to go to this traditionally
federally funded program.
Senator Hughes has spent a significant portion of his legislative career
working on higher education issues.
He is a member of the Board of
Directors of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA),
where he chairs its Audit Review Committee, and where he serves as a member
of the board's Executive Committee. He is also a member of the PHEAA
Foundation Board of Directors.
Continuing his work in higher education, Senator Hughes is a member of the
Board of Governors of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (SSHE),
where he serves on its Finance and Administration Committee, and its
Advancement Committee. The Pennsylvania SSHE is the governing organization
of Pennsylvania's 14 universities.
Senator Hughes also serves on
the Council of Trustees of Cheyney University, where he has worked to
strengthen Cheyney's Keystone Honors program, and where he has worked
tirelessly on Cheyney's capital program. In the past several years, Cheyney
University has seen a dramatic improvement in its physical appearance
because of investments of several million dollars to restore historical
buildings and to complete delayed construction on other buildings. This is
directly owed to Senator Hughes' work to secure the funding for the campus
improvements and to see that the projects are not put on the back burner of
PA's capital program.
Senator Hughes also created the James Hughes Memorial Scholarship Fund, in
honor of his father. Since its inception nearly 10 years ago, the Fund has
raised approximately $1million. The fund provides deserving Philadelphia
high school students $1500 scholarships, each year until graduation. Last
year the Fund gave out approximately 80 scholarships.
Nationally, Senator Hughes has been recognized for his ground breaking work
for the Breaking The Silence Conferences, which focus direct services and
attention on the issue of behavioral health in the African-American
community. He has also been a speaker at numerous mental health conferences
both locally and around the country, including the BET Conference on Mental
Health and the Media, and the National Black Caucus of State Legislators'
national conference, and its Health Committee conference. Additionally,
Senator Hughes was a panelist/presenter at the American Psychiatric
Association National Conference.
Senator Hughes is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Mental
Health Association. He formerly served as Chair of its Strategic Planning
Committee.
Senator Hughes has also been recognized both locally and nationally for his
work and leadership on the issue of HIV/AIDS. He is credited with helping to
facilitate the largest increases in HIV funding in Pennsylvanias history,
for the past four consecutive years. Most recently he announced a $1.5
million state grant to expand the City of Philadelphias HIV/AIDS testing
programs. His efforts also include securing a $500,000 grant in 2006 for
Keystone Hospice to enable the facility to expand its services and enhance
its ability to care for more patients affected by HIV/AIDS; moving the state
Senate to unanimously adopt a resolution to designate February 7, 2003, as
National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day; partnering with the national Black
AIDS Institute for the Philadelphia effort for the "Rhythms of Health Tour,"
and sponsoring "Can We Talk" forums to promote dialogue around the issue of
HIV/AIDS. He also is recognized for his work to engage the local faith-based
community to become actively involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Senator
Hughes was awarded the John Blue Award from BEBASHI, and has been recognized
by the national Black AIDS Institute, with its prestigious Heroes In The
Struggle Award.
Among the numerous community
outreach projects that Senator Hughes has created, is his Economic
Empowerment Series. This program, which Senator Hughes also titles, "Show Me
The Money," focuses on direct services designed to increase the individual
economic power of the constituents of the 7th Senatorial District. These
services include numerous community workshops which address finding jobs, to
finding money for college, to paying your utility bills. Senator Hughes is
currently developing a complete personal financial management series of
workshops. He has convened some of Philadelphia's top financial and economic
minds as an advisory committee to develop and implement this important
series of workshops.
Senator Hughes has spent considerable time assisting small and disadvantaged
business. When he Chaired the PA Legislative Black Caucus (as then
Representative Hughes), among other things, he worked with Governor Robert
Casey to clean up the back log of unprocessed, approved loans to minority
businesses. Senator Hughes currently sits as a member of the Board of the
Pennsylvania Minority Business Development Authority (PMBDA).
Senator Hughes has also been a
long time Board member of the Philadelphia Commercial Development
Corporation (PCDC). PCDC is Philadelphia's leading financing and support
organization for small and disadvantaged neighborhood businesses.
On the issue of community revitalization, Senator Hughes has been a leading
participant in numerous community development projects. His establishment of
the Center for Human Advancement prevented the old Provident Mutual
Insurance Building at 4601 Market Street in West Philadelphia from being
completely closed, and served as an anchor for the revitalization of that
neighborhood, with over 100 new homes built and purchased at market rate for
ownership, a nearby business incubator constructed, and several newly built
and renovated retail stores. His securing of over $5million of state money
was key in the construction of the Lucien Blackwell Homes, where over 200
homes have been built, also for market rate home ownership. Senator Hughes
also brought back over $6 million in grants and loans for the Parkside
Retail Complex. This will enable a major shopping mall to be constructed in
the Parkside community, which will bring in a Lowes store and a Shop Rite
supermarket, along with several chain and neighborhood businesses. This
project is planned to employ several hundred neighborhood residents, both
during and after construction.
In the PA Senate, Senator Hughes
is the Democratic Chair of the Public Health and Welfare Committee. He also
serves on the Education, Rules and Executive Nominations, and Policy
Committees.
Senator Hughes is a member of the Prince Hall Free and Accepted Masons.
Senator Hughes was formerly a member of AFSCME Local 590 Union, where he
served on its Board of Directors.
Senator Hughes is married to
actress/entertainer/activist Sheryl Lee Ralph. They have four children, two
girls and two boys. Senator Hughes worships at Mt. Carmel Baptist Church,
where he is a member of its Trustee Board.
As you examine his record of
service, which is far longer than what is represented here, you will find
that Senator Hughes often times works on issues that others choose not to
address. And from that work, you will also find real results, on real
issues, for the real people that he serves.
The 7th Senatorial District, in Philadelphia, includes portions of West
Philadelphia, portions of North Philadelphia, East Falls, Manayunk, and
portions of Roxborough. In Montgomery County, the district includes both
Springfield and Whitemarsh Townships.
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